Digitalt medierade kommunikationspraktiker hos finlandssvenskar i schweizisk diaspora

Abstract

Digital communication channels make it possible to communicate and maintain social relationships without necessarily sharing the same time and space. In addition, for many who have moved to another country, digital communication channels offer opportunities to maintain not only their native language and culture but also connections to their former home country. There is little qualitative research on Swedish-speaking Finns living abroad, although they represent a relatively large proportion of the total number of Swedish-speaking Finns. This case study investigates the digital communication practices of two Swedish-speaking Finns in a diaspora, with a focus on contact with the former homeland and the use of the Swedish language. The material consists of six semi-structured interviews with two Swedish-speaking Finns in Switzerland and their media diaries, visualised using mediagrams (Lexander & Androutsopoulos 2021). The study highlights the choices and justifications for the different communication channels and modalities used, drawing on and going beyond the theory of polymedia (Madianou & Miller 2012; 2013). The study discusses eight factors – emotional, social, practical, habitual, cultural, linguistic, pedagogical, and historical – that describe how these two individuals in a diaspora navigate the polymedia environment. The findings suggest that digital communication plays an important role for these individuals in facilitating both personal and professional contacts with Finland and provides crucial tools for maintaining and enabling the use of the Swedish language.